A Life Divided
by xmakethiscount
Summary: After a tragic divorce between Troy’s parents, he becomes torn between leaving his girlfriend, and moving to an unfamiliar state. Secrets will unfold. Depression will hit an all time low.. Will he and Gabriella’s love last?
1. Trailer

**Just when you thought you had it all...**

Flashes to East High's championship victory; Troy held up by a few Wildcats and him holding the trophy. The crowd cheers wildly.

_Starring:  
Zac Efron as Troy Bolton_

Flash of white; shows Troy and Gabriella holding hands, inches away from a kiss.

_Vanessa Anne Hudgens as Gabriella Montez_

Boom. Pitch black.

**...It all comes tumbling down.**

Shows Troy's parents arguing;  
"Leave, Lucille! And take your useless son with you."

_Also Starring:  
Bert Johnson and Leslie Wing as Jack and Lucille Bolton._

Shows Lucille and Troy in the car;  
"Troy, Chicago won't be so bad."

Another boom.

Flash of black, shows Troy on the phone;  
Gabriella's voice can be heard, faintly.  
_"I gotta go. I'll call you later, alright?"_

**What do you do...**

Another flash of black, reveals Troy at night, sitting on a bench in the rain – Kait walks up with an umbrella over her head.

_Taylor Swift as Kait Oxley._

"Troy, you can't just avoid me."

**When you're faced with decisions...**

Shows confrontation with Troy and Conner.

Conner has a pissed off look on his face, his fist clenched.  
"So what's it gonna be, Bolton?"

_And Tony Oller as Conner Brown._

Shows Lucille in a hospital bed, Troy sitting beside it, holding her hand.  
"Be strong for me, Mom..."

**And the one person you trust...**

Shows Gabriella standing in the rain, tears streaming down her face.

"So you're just gonna walk out on me like this, aren't you?"

Shows Troy standing in front of her, staring at her with a stone-cold face.

**Can no longer be trusted?**

Another flash of black, the sound of a beating heart racing wildly.

**Secrets will unfold.**

Still pitch black. A girl speaks; "Troy...I love you."

**Depression will hit an all time low.**

Still pitch black. A boy speaks; "Mom, please hold on..."

Quickly flashes to Troy's face, then Gabriella's, Kait's, Conner's, Coach Bolton's, and lastly, Lucille Bolton's. Flashes back to Troy's pale face.

"I thought everything was under control..."

Fades out with Troy left all alone in his room.

Title appears –** A Life Divided.**


	2. Unexpected Places

_Flashback:_

"_Gab, if I had a choice, I wouldn't go to Illinois. And you know that." Troy Bolton, the All-Star Wildcat at East High, sat in his car with his girlfriend, Gabriella, that was parked in front of her house. He had already said his goodbyes to his best friend, Chad, and the rest of the East High basketball team. And East High. Heh, there was actually a whole assembly for him. How special. He sighed and let his head fall back against the headrest. He swiveled his head to look at Gabriella and raised his eyebrows. It wasn't his fault that his divorced mother decided to up and move to Chicago. What a spontaneous move on her part._

"_I just don't understand it all. My mom finally has me settled into a great school, I meet you, and now this? Troy, I wasn't expecting this…" Gabriella shifted in the passenger seat, trying her best to hide her flustered expression. Right now, she hated Troy's mother for up and leaving like this. Sure, it was selfish of her to think so, but hey: What's a girl to do when she finally meets the guy she's been waiting for? "Can't you just stay with your dad? Please? At least until you graduate?"_

_Troy grimaced at the thought of his dad. Of course, he loved his father. He loved that he introduced basketball to his world. I mean, look what it made him. A legend at East High. An athlete that all the college scouts kept an eye on. But after what Troy's dad did to he and his mother, well, it all just tainted Troy's perception of him. "You know that won't work," Troy said plainly and as-a-matter-of-factly. He sighed again and subconsciously reached for Gabriella's hand; piercing blue eyes meeting deep brown ones. Troy hated seeing Gabriella in such a dolorous state. He knew she was slowly losing composure. He could see the tears welling up in the beautiful brown eyes that captivated him so.. "Gabriella, we can make this work. I know we can." He was determined to keep their relationship going, even if it meant it'd be a long-distance one.  
_

_Gabriella blinked hard, a few tears slowly sliding down her face. She was grateful to have such an understanding and caring boyfriend. She couldn't imagine Troy leaving her. She began to contemplate the many things that would change after Troy leaves. Somehow her mind wandered to the things that Troy could do at a new place. No one would know him. He could re-invent himself. No one would know about how famous he was at his hometown. No one would know that he was in a relationship with her. What if he finds someone new? Someone better? And prettier? Gabriella quickly pushed aside that thought and fell back into reality. She shrugged and bit her lip, not wanting to be so doubtful. She wanted it to work. She was willing to try. "One of the many reasons why I've fallen for you." Gabriella grinned and gently squeezed his hand. _

**Present:**

And that was that. The next day, Troy was off to Chicago, Illinois. His new home. Greeeaat.

"Troy, cheer up. You can keep in touch with all your friends back in Albuquerque. We can go back during Winter Break and you can see Gabriella. It isn't going to be so bad." Typical Lucille Bolton, looking at the bright side of things. It was her job to do so. Nothing could possibly get worse than leaving the place you love, to enter a whole new place where people were clueless as to who you were.

"I know, Mom…" Troy slunk back in the passenger seat, fiddling with the window. Up. Down. Up. Down. It was amusing him, at the least. How could she do this to him? He made something of himself at East High. He was notorious there. No one at his new school would appreciate all the things he's done. All the things he accomplished. No one would care. "I just don't understand. Why Chicago? Why not Arizona? It's closer."

Troy's mother fell silent. Her pursed lips and sudden interest in the rode ahead of them let Troy know that their conversation was over. Forever. There would be no persuading this woman. He shook his head slightly and rested his elbow on the console, his hand pressed against his cheek. _Buzz-Buzz-Buzz. Buzz-Buzz-Buzz._ Troy reached into the pocket of his faded blue jeans and pulled out his cell phone. The screen was lit up with Gabriella's soft face and an envelope icon. A smile tugged at the corners of his lips as he flipped his phone open.

"_It's only been 17 hrs. I miss you."_ If possible, Troy's smile grew even wider while he frantically typed up a response.

"_I miss you, too. And your beautiful face."_ He clicked send and slid his phone back into his pocket. His infamous grin slowly faded as it sunk into him once more. This was actually happening. Troy Bolton, the 'hottie super-bomb, left his limelight, and reluctantly, of course. He left Gabriella Montez. He left the Wildcat title as East High's youngest basketball captain. And all for an unexpected place that is Chicago.


	3. Utopia

These first two chapters are a little rough and quite boring, but they're just openers for the drama that's about to unfold. I have a few chapters already typed up, but suggestions would be appreciated!

"Troy…." Nudge. "Troy, honey… Sweetie? We're here."

Mustering up enough politeness in her voice, Lucille Bolton gently nudged her son again and forced a smile on her face before getting out of the car and meeting the U-Haul that sat in front of their new house, with his prized possesion; his black '97 Mustang, behind it.

Troy rubbed his eyes and yawned, sitting up straight from his uncomfortable sleeping position. He yawned once more as he stepped out of the car and set foot on the lawn of his new house. Troy's eyes widened; it surely was much bigger than the house he lived in in Albuquerque. It was a light blue two story house, that sat in the midst of what seemed to be the perfect neighborhood. Like a neighborhood you would see in the cheesiest family movies; little kids ringing the bells on their tricycles as they do a lap around the street, with their parents not too far away, watching their every move. Elderly people walking along the sidewalk, hand in hand. Families actually….functioning. Was he in the Twilight Zone or something? 

Troy walked onto the lawn and stepped up onto the patio that ran along the front of the house, with a simple two-person swing on one side. He rested his arms on the white railing, scanning the new neighborhood he would have to call home. All the while, the two men that drove the U-Haul began walking in and out of the house, transferring their belongings from the U-Haul into the house. It was all too surreal for Troy. Amazingly enough, he actually wasn't pulling his hair out because of this place. It didn't seem all too bad.

Lucille stepped onto the patio and stood beside her son, tenderly patting his back. "So, what do you think?"

"It's not a bad place, mom. I think I might like it here."

"Now, that's what I like to hear. C'mon, let's go see our home."

With that, the two walked into the enormous house, both of their faces showing shock and awe. It appeared that the two were in the living room. It was amazing. It smelled of hardwood floor, and a tiny hint of vanilla. As Lucille explored the kitchen that was not too far from the living room, Troy was left standing in the same spot; amazed. The living room alone was enormous. He wasn't sure if they had enough things to fill up the whole house. Lucille would find a way, though.

It was such an intricate house. The floors were all made of wood; no carpet to be seen in shooting distance. You could see the hallway upstairs from the living room; a wooden railing running along the side of the hallway. There was a wooden staircase that led up to the second floor.

Troy made his way upstairs, running his hand along the wooden railing. He walked down the hall and pushed the half-cracked door that stood at the end of the hallway. Peering into it as though he didn't belong, Troy slowly walked in and immediately claimed it his room. It was a normal room, but for some reason, the ambience of it made him feel like he was back in Albuquerque.

For basically the whole entire day, Troy and his mother got to work unpacking and figuring out where things should be put. Exhausted and a little out of breath, Troy collapsed onto his bed that was placed in the room that he so rightfully claimed earlier. Sprawled out onto his bed, Troy's cell phone began to vibrate on his desk. He groaned, still sore from all the lifting and pushing, and got up to retrieve his phone. He didn't bother checking to see who was calling and flipped his phone open, diving back onto his bed, with his eyes closed intently.

"Hello?"

"_Hey, stranger."_

"Gabriella?" Troy bolted upright, hearing Gabriella's soft voice ringing in his ear.

Gabriella giggled into the phone, which made Troy's heart skip a beat.

"_Yes, it's me, silly. How's Chicago?"_

Troy couldn't hold back the smile that took over his face. Hearing Gabriella's laugh made him shiver.

"It's alright. Our new house is huge. And when I mean huge, I mean; gigantic. No. Ginormous. Uber uber big." Troy heard Gabriella giggle slightly again, and continued on. "But the neighborhood creeps me out a bit. Not in a bad way, though. It just seems too….perfect. I'm a little scared to see what kind of people are at the high school I'm going to."

"_It's no Albuquerque, though. Right?" _Gabriella asked sternly and anxiously, a bit of hurt plastered on her face. She was glad to hear that Troy was getting used to the new place. But another part of her was jealous that a new high school and more importantly, a new handful of girls would be able to meet such an amazing person as Troy. She didn't want to admit, but she didn't want to share Troy. After all of the Sharpay drama, she believed that she deserved him, and no one else.

"Of course not." Troy said, in the same tone as Gabriella's. "There's no Gabi, here. And that's what disappoints me the most." What he said caused him to grin. He knew that comment would make Gabriella's face light up.

Gabriella let out her famous giggle and shook her head, as though Troy could see it through the phone.

"_I miss you, Wildcat."_

"I miss you too, Gabs. My mom told me that I could go back and visit during Winter Break. It's not that far away. How does that sound?"

"_That sounds amazing!"_ Gabriella immediately squeaked in, smiling widely.

"It does. I can't wait to see you again. Say hi to Chad and everyone else for me?"

"_Of course….Goodnight, Troy."_

"Goodnight, Gabi. Sweet dreams."


	4. Hayden High

**Hayden High**

Troy woke up to the sound of his alarm clock beeping wildly, obnoxiously filling his room with the sound, like an ambulance would to a neighborhood. Troy groaned loudly and rolled over in his bed, slapping the snooze button. 7:00 A.M. on a Monday. He sat up straight in his bed and rubbed his eyes, realizing that today was his first day at a new school. He wasn't so much nervous of what the classes would be like, but as to whether or not he would be liked, or rejected. He was leaning towards the rejection side. Modest, modest Troy.

Stumbling out of bed, Troy took a five minute shower and stood in front of his closet, a towel tied loosely around his torso. He picked out a striped white and blue polo and his favorite pair of loose fitting jeans. Typical for anyone; Troy wanted to make a good first impression. He put on the clothes he chose and slipped on a pair of white Nikes. He ruffled his brown locks whilst looking into the full-body mirror hung on the wall, and winked at his reflection. Very nice. He grabbed his book bag and keys and jetted down the stairs.

Lucille had already gone out early to job hunt, which made it sort of eerie, hearing only his footsteps as Troy walked around the house. He grabbed an apple from the kitchen and dashed out of the house and hopped into his Mustang, speeding down the street.

He found kids and teenagers walking down the sidewalk to the bus stop, mid-aged women running down the street, and heard the sound of birds chirping. For some reason, the whole scene reminded him of Mary Poppins. Shrugging it off, he kept his gaze on the group of teenagers standing at the bus stop, whilst stopping at a stop sign to let a group of kids cross the street. A group of teenage girls giggled and pointed to him in the car, causing Troy to blush a bit. One of the girls caught his eye, though. She stood in the middle of the giggling-mob with a few stacks of books held in her hand. It reminded Troy of Gabriella. The girl was very pretty; she had shoulder-length blond, curly hair and a nice slim figure. The girl took notice of Troy's gaze on her, and looked down sheepishly with a small grin on her face, pulling a golden strand behind her ear. Troy grinned and pressed on the gas, as he heard a few cars behind him honking like crazy, yelling at him to get his ass moving.

**Hayden High School. **As most of the houses were around the area, the high school was huge. Chicago obviously meant business. Troy pulled into a vacant parking spot in the student parking lot and grabbed his book bag, stepping out of his car. Teenagers were scattered across campus, mingling with others, possibly conversating about the 'dreadful' school day ahead of them. Troy felt out of place. There was no Chad, or Zeke, or Jason to go say hi to. Most of all, there was no Gabriella to place his arm around and proudly walk into school with. Slinging his book bag over his shoulder and locking his car, Troy walked into the high school, yet to see even more teenagers within it; mingling. How any more insecure could he feel?

After getting his schedule and locker number and combination from the office secretary, the bell rang, students all rushing to get to class. Oh, great. First day, and he's already tardy. Troy sighed and glanced at his schedule.

Homeroom: Mrs. Artzer. Room 14. Reminded him of his basketball number. Troy walked down the empty hallway and eventually found Room 14. His heart began to race as he grasped the doorknob. He knew that once he went in, all eyes would be on him. Sure, back at East High, all eyes were on him. But in a different way. Everyone at East High admired him and practically looked up to him. Here at Hayden High, no one knew him. He never felt so vulnerable in his life.

Building up enough courage, Troy opened the door and walked in slowly.

"…..Savannah, I would really like it if I didn't see your cell phone out anymo- Oh, well hello there! You must be Troy." Mrs. Artzer surely was no Ms. Darbus. Mrs. Artzer was a tall, slender woman with dark brown hair and slightly pale skin. She didn't wear ridiculously out of date glasses like Ms. Darbus, and she definitely didn't wear eye-popping pieces of fabric. No colorful shawls would be seen hanging around Mrs. Artzer. From the looks of it, she was an English teacher and not a Drama teacher. Troy was glad. Although, she and Ms. Darbus shared the paranoia of cell phones being used during class.

The 30-year old woman that stood in front of the class turned to Troy and smiled a little too enthusiastically, shaking his limp hand. The whole class stopped talking with each other and set their gaze on him. A few girls gaped at him with wide eyes as they noticed how stunningly gorgeous he was. Troy didn't notice; he was too nervous.

Troy coughed slightly and managed a small smile. "You must be Mrs. Artzer? It's nice to meet you, I'm Troy Bolton." He returned the hand shake and was a little startled to find that Mrs. Artzer pulled him into a hug. A few people in the class laughed. What a way to boost his ego.

"Oh! It's a pleasure to meet you, Troy! Class, this is Troy Bolton. He transferred from Albuquerque, New Mexico. East High, was it?" Before Troy could reply, Mrs. Artzer went on. "You can take the empty seat behind Miss Oxley over there."

Troy eyes followed where Mrs. Artzer was pointing to, causing his breath to hitch in his throat. 'Miss Oxley' was the girl that he noticed at the bus stop. Apparently she noticed as well. She glanced at him, smiled politely, and turned away, her cheeks as read as a tomato. Troy snapped back into reality and sat down at his appointed desk, while everyone shifted around to catch a glimpse of him, like he was about to do something completely out of the ordinary.

"Troy, huh? Nice to meet you, man. I'm Conner Brown."

Troy slightly jumped and turn to face the boy who sat beside him, amazed that someone actually had the courage to talk to him. He didn't have a plague after all.

"Nice to meet you too, dude. I'm Troy Bolton. Obviously..." Troy smirked and pounded Conner's fist.

Conner Brown was a fairly good looking boy. And when I say fairly, I mean every girl at Hayden High fantasized about him. He was the spitting idea of Troy. Except for the fact that Conner's athletic interest was football. Unsurprisingly enough, Conner was the captain. Conner had emerald green eyes, shaggy dirty blond hair, and seemed to have a toned physique. And he also appeared to have the all-around nice guy personality to complete the whole package. Troy immediately assumed that Conner was the popular guy in school.

"So. Albuquerque? What made you move from there to Chicago?" 

"Family issues." He shrugged, Conner immediately nodding.

"Ah, I see. You do any sports?" 

"Basketball, mostly. I was captain at my school, two years running." 

"Wait, so you were captain your sophomore year? Dude, that's tight. Our basketball program's pretty sucky here. Maybe you could turn that around." Conner nodded again, his eyes slightly wide.

Troy chuckled a bit and shrugged. "We'll see about that. When are try-outs?" 

"This Friday. That's when all of the winter sports try-outs are."

"I'll be sure to sign up."

The bell rang for first period to begin, students getting up and filing out of the classroom.

"What class do you have next?" Conner asked, the both of them walking out of Mrs. Artzer's room.

"American Literature with Mr. Figgs?" Conner laughed and patted Troy's back.

"I have that with you. Mr. Figgs is a nut case."

Troy nodded and sighed with relief, praising the heavens that Conner introduced himself. If it wasn't for Conner, Troy would most likely be sprinting to his American Literature class, tardy once again.

It turned out that Troy's assumption of Conner was true. Girls were waving flirtingly at him and high fives were exchanged with he and male passersby. A few girls smiled at Troy, to his dismay. He felt like he was back in Albuquerque. Conner chuckled and jokingly punched Troy's bicep.

"Dude, you're here for what, 30 minutes? And girls are already checking you out."

Troy smirked and shook his head. Maybe his charm was still there. Wait, no. Gabriella's his girlfriend. How could he think like that?

American Literature was a breeze. Conner and Troy mainly talked during class about life back in Albuquerque and all the triumphs Troy achieved. He found that he and Conner weren't that different from each other. Hayden High was known for it's football, which Conner was a huge part of. And East High was known for it's basketball.

"So, see any girls that have caught your interest yet?" Conner asked Troy teasingly, on their way to the cafeteria for Lunch Block.

"Nah, I've got a girl back home," Troy said proudly. He loved letting the world know that Gabriella was his girlfriend. The power couple changed the status quo at East High. They were the cause of East High's sudden compromise. There was yet to be any type of compromising here, though. Hayden was still stuck in full clique mode.

"That's awesome. I hate to break it to you, Bolton, but you know, long distance relationships rarely ever turn out." Conner caught Troy's confidence and shrugged, as the two got in line.

"It's different with Gabriella and I." That was all Troy could get out before a group of Conner's friends, along with a few cheerleaders butted in, leaving Troy standing alone. He silently grabbed his order of fries and searched the cafeteria for an empty spot. As modest as Conner was, he noticed Troy's struggle and gestured him over to the jocks' table. Troy sat down and ate quietly while Conner led the discussion about last week's football domination against Lecompton High, and their championship battle against La Grange coming up in a few weeks.

As if by fate, Troy caught a glimpse of the blond haired girl that sat in front of him in Homeroom. It was like a spotlight shined down on her while the whole cafeteria was pitch black. Basically, she stood out clear as day. The only fact he knew about the girl was that her last name was Oxley. But what was her first name? Troy found her sitting with a few friends, happily discussing over something. Probably over boys. Typical.

Troy was brought back into reality, when Conner mentioned to the table about his unbelievable skill in basketball. Troy's face lit up as the table took interest in the new topic. He willingly informed the table about the title of captain he held two years running, and the two championships the Wildcats one during that time period. A few cheerleaders sighed dreamily and gawked at Troy, suddenly finding an attraction to him.

"Dude, that's awesome. You should try out for the team on Friday, for sure. This school needs it," said a tan-skinned, short-haired boy from the name of Eric.

"Oh, you can count on that, bud. Our new friend Troy here, will definitely live up to his title back at East High. Who knows; he might be grow into something bigger than that." Conner jokingly slapped Troy's back, modestly sharing the limelight. Troy grinned, liking the attention he was getting. And to think he was nervous about this place.

**Of course, I couldn't have Troy turn into some nerd. He's too hot for that. :) Reviews/suggestions for the next chapter would be dandy. I hope you like the story so far. Even though the first two chapters are quite short. I might add to them later.**


	5. Toughen Up, Bolton

The next three days somewhat whizzed by for Troy. His friendship with Conner was growing, along with other friendships.

He'd often receive a, "Hey! You're Conner's friend." Or a, "Dude! You're the new kid with the awesome basketball skills!" Or even an, "Oh my gosh, you're a cutie." The last one mainly coming from giddy cheerleaders with their valley girl accents, popping their gum in front of his face. Troy tried to avoid those as much as possible.

Having Conner as a friend definitely boosted his reputation at Hayden High. It was quickly blossoming, although Troy was sure that he'd never reach Conner's title as Hayden High's hottie super-bomb. He didn't expect it.

Troy also brushed up on his basketball skills. There was no Coach Bolton to get any hardcore motivation from, so he found it a little hard to push himself to the limit. But he did it, nonetheless. It was a surprise to him when he was approached by a few guys who were trying out for the basketball team, asking for some tips. Of course, Troy was more than glad to set up after school sessions at the practice gym and run the guys through drills that he once was ordered to do under the coaching of his father.

But aside from all the ups Troy was receiving, there were also a few downs. A slight 'down' was that after four days, Troy never found out 'Miss Oxley's' name. Every time he'd try and approach her, something would inevitably interrupt. He didn't know what it was about her that intrigued him. Was it because she reminded him so much of Gabriella, except with blond hair? Or maybe it was fate turning the tables on the two, telling Troy that they weren't meant to talk with each other. Especially since the status quo at Hayden High was not like East High. Like Gabriella, (well, before the whole Twinkle Towne fiasco) Oxley seemed as though she wasn't well-known.

And the other down? You could say it's more like: a major down. For Troy, it was. Every night, he would patiently wait for a call from Gabriella. When he finally lost patience, he'd spend a good 15 minutes trying to get a hold of her. For four nights, he failed. Troy was gradually getting uneasy about it. Lucille claimed that maybe Gabriella was becoming really busy. He pondered that reason, and quickly threw it out. No matter how busy the two were, back when Troy was still at East High, they would always find ways to talk to each other. Even if it was for a few minutes. Troy came to the conclusion that maybe Gabriella was losing interest in him, and found someone that cared for her, that was in reaching distance. But, he was determined that he wasn't going to give up.

--

Troy woke up to the sound of...nothing. He was up all night, his mind busy with the many scenarios he could think of as to why Gabriella couldn't answer at least one of his calls. He tried his best to push it to the back of his mind, for today was basketball try outs.

He sat up straight in his bed and glanced at his alarm clock. 5:30 AM. Perfect. Hopping out of bed and slipping on his pair of Nikes, Troy grabbed the basketball that lay on his computer chair and silently went downstairs. He didn't bother throwing on a t-shirt. After all, it would be another shirt for Lucille to clean, and no one this early would be outside.

Troy slowly opened the front door, trying his best to make as little noise as possible, and walked down the patio onto the driveway where he set up his basketball goal on Monday night. He bounced the basketball a few times and stood where the free throw line would be, feeling comfortable once again. Whenever Troy would do something simple as shoot hoops, it would relax him. Basketball was his mediator; anything that ate away at his mind would immediately be washed away, sending Troy into a different world.

He planted his feet to the concrete, his right foot slightly more forward than his left, bended his knees, and lifted the basketball up to ears-length, intently setting his gaze on the hoop. Troy straightened his knees and released the ball. _Swish._ He grinned and nodded, as the ball found its way back to him.

"Nice job."

Troy whirled around and saw the very girl that he never imagined he would see other than in Homeroom.

She was dressed in a black Adidas tank top, tight Adidas shorts, and a pair of Adidas running shoes to top it all off. Her curly blond hair was up, with a few stray curls slightly wet and sticking to the side of her face. She wore a genuine smile that could send any guy off the wall. For a city girl, her natural appearance was that of a country girl.

"Thanks. You're from Homeroom, right?" Troy asked stupidly, approaching her with the ball in his arm. Right about now, he wished that he threw on a t-shirt.

"I'm Troy."

"I'm Kait. Well, Kaitlin, but call me Kait." Kait still had the smile plastered on her face as she held out her hand.

Kait Oxley. Troy could finally put a _first_ name to the face. He grinned and gently took her hand, shaking it.

"Nice to meet you, Kait. What brings you out here so early?"

"I could ask the same to you." She giggled and continued. "I run a mile every morning. Gotta keep in shape." She said, nodding.

"Ahh, well I'm brushing up on a few basketball skills before try-outs today."

"I heard about that; you being the 'basketball genius'." She smirked and playfully rolled her eyes, emphasizing the tone in her voice as she spoke the last few words.

Troy jokingly placed a hand over his chest, a look of hurt all over his face. "Miss Oxley, that was a quite a blow to the heart."

Kait giggled and shook her head, brushing a stray blond hair from her face. "Well, Mr. Bolton. I've got other things to do, than to stand here and mingle with Hayden's next Conner Brown." She sent another smirk his way and waved, jogging down the street, her curly pony tail bouncing from side to side.

Troy shook his head and watched Kait run down the street until she turned the corner. While he was shooting hoops, he wondered why Kait wasn't classified as 'popular'. Sure it was just a label, but Kait had all the qualities of being one. Except for a snooty attitude.

With sweat dripping down his toned body, Troy decided to head inside and get ready for the day ahead of him. He went inside, said Good Morning to Lucille who was sitting in the living room drinking coffee, and jogged upstairs to take a shower.

He stripped from his sticky basketball shorts (Yeah, I'm drooling at the thought of it) and hopped in the shower, letting the water rush down on him. Troy got out, dressed, grabbed his book bag and keys, and made his routine; saying by to Lucille and driving down the street, the same group of girls pointing and giggling at him at the bus stop. Troy was especially excited to see the group, knowing that Kait would be among them. He caught a glimpse of Kait; she was smiling that same smile she had when they first introduced themselves. He grinned and nodded, before driving down the familiar street to Hayden High School.

The days had been different from Monday morning; Troy was granted a parking spot in the front row with the jocks (Conner's idea, of course) and was soon crowded around by anxious students curious to see what he looked like that day, the second he stepped out of his '97 Mustang. He would walk in with he and Conner leading the group of trailing students. It was like East High, except Conner wasn't Chad.

Troy would politely make conversation with people brave enough to approach him, but was soon pulled away from a slightly dejected Conner, reminding Troy of the clique problem. What was the big deal? People were people, no matter how much money they had, or the color of their skin, or even how smart they were.

Throughout the day, Troy's mind was somewhere else. He'd have moments where his mind was focused on basketball try-outs, and was soon replaced by Gabriella. Basketball and Gabriella did a tango in Troy's mind, fighting each other to lead. It was slowly driving Troy to the brink of insanity. He finally decided to do something about it during Lunch Block.

He excused himself from the jock table and walked out onto the campus, staring at his cell phone.He was contemplating whether or not to call Gabriella. Hopefully she wasn't too busy, and wasn't in Ms. Darbus' Drama class.

Was he boring her? He couldn't blame her; he wasn't there for her like he once was. Troy sighed loudly and dialed her number, counting the number of rings it took until her voice mail would play. It took eight rings. He had already memorized it.

"_Hello?"_

"Gabriella? You finally answered."

"_Troy? I'm at school, what's the deal?"  
_  
"I'm just worried about you. Is everything okay?"He heard an exasperated sigh from Gabriella and heard a faint male voice talking to her. Troy couldn't make out what the boy was saying. Gabriella's giggles were muffling it.

"_I gotta go. I'll call you later, alright?"_

Before Troy could interject, Gabriella had already hung up, the dial tone filling his ear. Troy flipped his phone shut and stood there, amazed by Gabriella's attitude towards him on the phone. That phone conversation was sure to haunt him for the rest of the day.

**--**

**Kait Oxley looks like Taylor Swift. You know, the teenage country singer. Just in case you wanted to visualize what she looks like. **

**Troyella? Or ...Troy...insertsomeoneelsesnamehere:) Troy _will_ end up with someone in the end, but I'd like to keep that a secret. Dun dun dunnn. Tips/Suggestions would be spiffayy.**

**Oh, and Happy Holidays! I'll come up with a trailer soon. I'll try my best to have it up by Christmas. **


End file.
